Pot means prison for B.C. rocker

A Burnaby, B.C., troubadour is facing at least five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to pot smuggling charges.

Michael Dudas, 35, had been accused of playing a leading role in a smuggling operation in which hundreds of pounds of B.C. bud were flown into Washington by helicopter.

According to federal authorities, Dudas and others would strap duffle bags full of pot to the sides of a Robinson R-22 chopper, then fly to a hidden landing zone in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Darrington.

The feds got wise in late 2005, seizing two loads after they’d been dropped off. Dudas faces a maxium of 40 years in prison for his role in the smuggling operation. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 19 in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The mandatory minimum sentence for the crimes Dudas pleaded guilty to is five years.

Before the unwanted federal attention, Dudas had made a bit of a name for himself as a frontman for the Mike Dudas Band. The band’s myspace.com page is here.

Obviously, pot is big business in B.C. – the drug is often noted as the province’s leading export. Earlier this year, The Economist estimated the trade’s value at $7 billion. In part because of the drug’s value, several notable B.C. politicians are calling for legalization. An interview with Vancouver’s former mayor is here.